Batman 608
"The Ransom" is the 608th issue of the first ongoing Batman comic book series. It is the first of twelve chapters in the ""Hush" storyline that runs from issue #608-619. The issue was written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Jim Lee with Scott Williams on inks. Lee and Williams also provided the cover art illustration. It was colored by Alex Sinclair with Richard Starkings providing the lettering. The issue was edited by Bob Schreck. It shipped with a December, 2002 cover-date and a retail price of $2.25 (US) per copy. Synopsis A physically altered Killer Croc kidnaps Edward Lamont, IV, heir to the Lamont Chemical fortune. He is holding him for a ten million dollar ransom. Batman tracks the boy down and rescues him and gets into a fight with Croc. Batman defeats Croc by using a hyper-sonic device that sends Croc reeling over with pain. During the fight however, Catwoman arrives and sneaks off with the ransom money. Batman takes off swinging after Catwoman. He's hot on her tail, but Catwoman leaps from rooftop to rooftop always two steps ahead of him. As Batman closes in for the capture, something cuts through his batline. He falls all the way to the street below and is knocked unconscious. The fall, and his recent battle with Croc severely injures him. Catwoman meanwhile meets up with Poison Ivy and hands her the ten million. Something is definitely odd here, as Catwoman appears to be submissive to Poison Ivy's charms. As yet, no one knows who cut the batline. Appearances * Batman * Huntress * Killer Croc * Poison Ivy * Catwoman * Carlos Valdez * Nails Nathan * Spider Hancock * Tommy Harper * Martha Wayne * Thomas Wayne * Edward Lamont, IV * Central Intelligence Agency * Irish Republican Army * Mutated humans * Gotham City :* Gotham City Shipyard :* Gotham Tower Apartment :* Park Row * Batarang * Batline * Utility belt * Huntress' motorcycle * Mind control * Pheromone control * Superhuman strength Notes & Trivia * This issue is reprinted in the ''Batman: Hush'' hardcover and trade paperback collections as well as the ''Batman: Hush'', Volume 1 hardcover and trade paperback collections. It is also reprinted in the 2005 Batman: Hush: Absolute Edition hardcover slipcase edition. * First print runs of this issue shipped as a direct edition and a newstand edition. * This issue shipped with an alternate variant cover, which was also composed by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair. Another variant of this was a New York Post exclusive of the direct market edition Jim Lee/Scott Williams cover. It is distinguished from the regular first printing by an altered color shade. * This issue went to second printing featuring the Jim Lee, Scott Williams variant cover of Batman standing on a rooftop. * With this issue, the Batman title changes its logo design. * This issue includes a two-page origin prologue entitled, "The Batman: Who He Is, and How He Came to Be". The title is taken from the origin recap story first presented in ''Batman'' #1. * This is Morgan Dontanville's first work on the Batman series. * Reference is made to Superman and LexCorp in this issue. * Various dirigibles can be seen floating in the sky above Gotham City. Dirigibles were commonly used as police patrol vehicles in the 1992 Batman animated television series. * The events of this issue take place on Wednesday, November 27th, 2002. Daily Planet newspaper articles bearing a Thursday, November 28th, 2002 press date are shown in Batman #609, indicating that all of the events from this issue take place on the previous Wednesday. * Behind the scenes appearance by Hush, who is the main antagonist for this storyline. * The nature of Killer Croc's mutation is explained in ''Batman'' #620. * Martha Wayne and Thomas Wayne appear in flashback only to a time shortly before their murder. * First and only known appearance of Edward Lamont, IV. He is the heir to the Lamont fortune. * First and only known appearance of Carlos Valdez. He is a Chilean mercenary. * First and only known appearance of Nails Nathan. He is a former C.I.A. operator. * First and only known appearance of Spider Hancock. He is a hired thug. * First and only known appearance of Tommy Harper. He is a gun runner for the Irish Republican Army. Recommended Reading See also External Links References ---- Category:Batman Vol 1 Category:2002/Comic issues Category:Batman: Hush/Issues Category:Comic issues with plot summaries